Mute
by TinEli
Summary: Mute from trauma, how's a girl to find love without the ability to speak? SasuSaku. R&R please. T for later content
1. Sasuke Uchiha

_**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN NARUTO. KISHIMOTO DOES AND I AM NOT HIM.**_

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There was no escape from this world. Of this she was certain. If there was a way, she would have found it by now. Her father was her world now.

"Sakura, get down here now!"

The girl quickly jumped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her body. It was a good thing she'd just rinsed her hair free of shampoo. She clutched both sides of the towel closed around her body and raced down the stairs as quickly as she could to face her father.

Shivering, she stood in front of the drunken man she called 'father'. Father in blood and name. She kept her gaze directed at the floor, knowing if she dared look him in the eye, he'd think she was defying him and beat her.

"Make me something to eat, I don't care what." he snapped.

Sakura nodded. "Is-"

She fell to the hardwood floor with a loud _thud._ Her father had smacked her and sent her flying.

She ought to have known better than to speak.

Every time she spoke, she was beaten.

Sure enough, he was kicking her now. In the stomach, in the legs, on her head.

Sakura lay still, knowing that if she fought back, it would only worsen the situation.

Finally, her father decided he'd punished her enough and returned to his previous position on the couch.

She made fried chicken for her father one-handed. He would never allow her to get dressed if it would postpone his meal and she needed to keep the towel closed.

Her father was not pleased with the food she'd made.

"I didn't want fried chicken!" he spat, smacking the plate from her hand and sending the chicken flying. The plate fell to the floor and shattered.

_But-_

Sakura opened her mouth to protest then clamped it shut quickly.

Her father had seen her open her mouth to speak and grabbed her by the hair. He shook her head violently "You bitch!"

Tears welled up and overflowed in her tightly closed eyes as he slammed her against the wall.

_Please. Let me out. Let me out. LET ME OUT!!!_ She wailed in her head.

Her father finally released his hold on her and she slumped to the floor, sobbing silently.

***

"Class, we have a new student today."

Sakura didn't bother looking up from her desk. A new student was of no concern to her.

"Sasuke, introduce yourself, please."

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha."

_His voice sounds so cold. I wonder if-_

Sakura lifted her head just enough to peek at the new boy from beneath her bangs.

_He's lonely, too._ The pain and sadness his eyes expressed was enough to tell her that. Many people would overlook that simply because he was goodlooking.

She looked to her left and, sure enough, Ino, Karin, and Temari were already plotting how to corner him and ask him out.

_Idiots._

"Sasuke, you can sit by-" Kakashi's eyes swept across the classroom, scanning for an empty seat, "-Sakura. Sakura, raise your hand so Sasuke knows where to sit."

Sakura raised her hand into the air quickly then set it down again.

"Sakura doesn't talk much, so don't be offended if she doesn't say anything to you." Kakashi told the Uchiha as he carefully stepped over backpacks and purses on his way down the aisle. He reached Sakura's table so quickly she hadn't even had time to clear off half of it for his use. She slid her books and notebook over to her side and piled them up.

"You could have left them where they were. I don't need much space, just enough to take notes." Sasuke informed her. Sakura simply gave him a small smile by way of reply.

For the next hour and a half, the class worked on grammar packets Kakashi had passed out. Sakura finished hers with ease and picked up the book she'd been reading in her spare time at school. At home, her father kept her in his sight almost constantly, only allowing her out of his sight when she ran errands or was in the shower.

To her right, Sasuke was nearly finished as well, which surprised her. His grammar and punctuation were flawless. To her left, Ino was leaning out of her seat to cheat off Sakura's packet. She copied the answers she had memorized into her packet and leaned over again, but a little too far this time. She fell, with a noisy crash, out of her chair and hard onto the tiled floor.

Sakura couldn't suppress the giggle that passed from her lips as everybody in the room turned to stare at whomever had fallen.

Ino shot her a death glare. "I'll see you in the halls, bitch." she whispered, returning to her seat, face red with embarrassment.

Sakura returned her gaze to her paper, angry at herself for making a noise. She had learned long ago that talking and laughing only made people mad at you and got you hurt.

Sasuke gave her an inquisitive look. He was clearly puzzled as to why there was an angry look on her face when only a minute ago she had laughed.

She ignored him and gathered her stuff into her backpack in preparation for the bell.

It rang and she shot out of her seat quickly, beating the rest of the class to the door.

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**A/N: R&R please? This is my first fic.**


	2. The Storm

_**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN NARUTO. KISHIMOTO DOES AND I AM NOT HIM.**_

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_to shadowcat, my first reviewer: Thank you for reviewing you're awesome. I hope I don't disappoint you. _

_to therockjlo I'll try to update as much as I can because I'm getting interested in it too and I'm the author. =P_

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_Clang. _

Sakura slammed her locker shut with unnecessary force in her rush to escape to her second period history class.

She turned from her locker, arms laden with books, only to find Ino, Karin, and Temari barring her way.

"Temari, you hold her." Ino ordered her friend, calmly staring at Sakura as if they were just having a nice chat.

Temari obeyed, roughly grabbing Sakura's arms and yanking them behind her back. The books fell to the floor. The largest, her history book, landed on Sakura's foot and brought tears to her eyes. Ino mistook the tears of pain for tears of fear and laughed.

"Baby. Wimp. Whore." Sakura flinched at each name, knowing they were true. If someone was saying it, it must be true.

Her father called her useless and stupid all the time. What difference did a few more labels make?

"It isn't nice to laugh at people you know," Ino was whispering in her ear. Sakura leaned as far away as possible, further irritating the blonde. "Whassamatter, you scared?" Ino's face was gleeful. Sakura saw the arm rise, saw the hand held flat, knew what was going to happen, and cringed.

As the palm rushed to meet her face, an arm came out of nowhere and grabbed Ino's wrist.

"Who the fu-" Ino snarled, turning to meet her opposer and stopping short in her sentence when she found out who it was.

"It isn't nice to bully people, either."

"Hi, Sasuke!" Ino said in an all too cheerful way, sliding her arm out of his grasp. "Hope your first day is going well?"

"Let go of Sakura, Temari." Sasuke said coldly, bending and collecting Sakura's dropped books. Temari hastily obeyed and Sakura rubbed her sore arms.

"Let's go." Ino commanded, giving Sakura a we'll-settle-this-later look. Karin and Temari each shot one backwards glance at Sasuke before sauntering away.

"Are you okay?" Sasuke asked, bending down slightly so he could peer at her face.

_W-What? Concern? _Sakura brushed her hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear, staring at Sasuke intently. _Ignore him. He doesn't mean it._

_**What if he does?**_ She brushed that thought away quickly. _Men don't care about women. If he really knew me, he'd hate me like my father._

He handed her the books and she accepted them before rushing to her next class.

"She really doesn't talk... but it isn't shyness." Sasuke stared at her until she turned the corner at the end of the hall before strolling leisurely to his next class. Because he was new, any tardiness could be counted as unfamiliarity with the school building.

He smirked. _Teachers..._

***

The bell rang just as Sakura slid into her seat at the back of the room. Jiraiya gave her a look, noting her flushed appearance. Sakura was normally the first student in his room so for her to be the last in the room was an odd occurrence. He put it to the back of his mind for the moment, intending to ask her about it when the time was right.

In the meantime, he was going to finish passing out the pop quiz he'd been warning his class he was going to give. Mutinous mutters ran through the room as it sank in that he hadn't been joking about the quiz. Satisfied that his class was thoroughly frustrated with him, he sat at his desk to read a book, chuckling all the while.

***

Sakura plodded home slowly, delaying the time she'd have to spend at home as much as possible. She calculated her arrival carefully every day. On Monday, it was best to arrive after four thirty, so as to allow her father to sink into a drunken stupor to numb himself from his 'awful' Monday morning. This allowed her to sneak into the house unnoticed and gave her time to finish her homework. Tuesdays and Wednesdays she had to be home as quickly as possible because her father got off work early and she had to have dinner ready and on the table. God forbid he actually cook for himself. Thursdays she was safe. On Thursday he worked until midnight so by the time he got home, he was too tired to do anything but sleep. Fridays were the worst. He was off on Fridays and spent all day without food or her and got drunk and angry because she wasn't there. She always ran home on Fridays.

Today being Thursday she could set a moderate pace for herself.

Several cars passed her containing people she knew by sight. She didn't have any friends at school. Her classmates found her silence disturbing, and those who didn't were warned off by other students until they, too, left her alone.

"Hey, Haruno!"

Sakura turned, knowing something was coming.

_Splat._

Balloons filled with paint and egg yolks smacked into her body accompanied by laughter.

"That's for earlier, bitch!" Ino yelled as Karin's cherry red convertible rushed past.

_I deserved it. I deserved every bit of it._

***

"Hey, you done in there yet?" her father snapped.

Sakura jumped then nodded so he could see.

"'Bout time. Bring it to me." he commanded.

Sakura complied, carefully carrying the food-filled plate into the living room where her father was, once again, sitting on the couch drinking a beer. She had made steak and mashed potatoes and then topped them both with gravy. Her father's favorite.

He took the plate from her, "Go get in the shower, you look disgusting," then began shoveling food in his mouth.

***

Her radio played music quietly in the early morning light as she readied herself for school. The egg yolk and paint from yesterday had proved difficult to remove and she'd spent nearly a half hour scrubbing it thoroughly from her body. The paint had left faint red and blue stains on her face and arms that she knew would come out in a few more showers. Her shirt was ruined and she'd thrown it out, but her jeans were fine. In fact, she actually kind of liked the effect of the red paint against the dark wash. She slid the brush through her short pink locks then grabbed a clean pair of jeans and a shirt from her 'dresser' -which was nothing more than three or four cardboard boxes stacked one on top the other. This done, she grabbed her red jacket and backpack and stepped quietly into the hall.

Her father was snoring on the couch.

It was just one of those days. If she went out the front door, she was sure to wake him and incur his hangover induced wrath.

_My window it is then._ She sighed.

***

"Sakura, are you okay? You're limping." Sasuke asked as she sat down next to him.

She made a gesture with her hand that meant _it's okay, just an accident._ She'd landed on her backpack awkwardly and fallen, adding a nice brown smear of mud on the seat of her jeans that Ino and her posse were sure to notice.

Sasuke scrutinized her expression, an odd look on his face. She gave him another small smile and turned her face to the desk paying more attention than was necessary to the faux wood grain.

He continued to shoot curious glances at her throughout the rest of the class period which only served to irritate his three fangirls and embarrass her.

_Please stop. Don't you see how much trouble you're causing me? A guy like you could never love such a useless girl as me. Go away. Go away. Go-_

_BOOM._

Thunder crashed loudly, startling her from her thoughts and she squeaked. She wasn't the only one, either. Several other girls and a couple of guys had let out small screams of terror. The lights flickered once, twice, then were dark.

She hated the dark.

Someone touched her shoulder and she screamed, slapping the hand away.

"Sakura, it's me." Sasuke whispered. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you like that."

"Class, we've just gotten word from the school board that a tree was struck by lightning and fell. It snapped the power lines so we're getting out of school early today." Mr. Hatake informed them. "Pack up your stuff and drive home safely."

Excited murmurs ran rampant across the classroom as books were safely stowed into bags. Sakura sat numbly in her seat.

_No. No. No. NO! Nononononononono!!!_

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**A/N: So how was it? Was it good? This chapter is a bit longer than the other I think, but I had to set everything up. R&R please?**


	3. Home

_**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN NARUTO. KISHIMOTO DOES AND I AM NOT HIM.** _

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to shadowcat: I'm glad you liked my last chapter, I hope you like this one as well. I always find it funny when people squeal at thunder.

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She had been on this bench for three hours now. Thunder rumbled low and deep above her while fat raindrops pounded her body heavily. Anyone in their right minds would have been at home or under some sort of shelter, but anyone did not have an abusive drunkard as a father.

_What do I do? Do I go home or stay here until about the time school would normally have let out and get sick? If I get sick, I'll have to stay at home with him._

She stood, slinging her dark pink backpack over her shoulder.

_Better to get it over with now..._

***

"What the fuck are you doing here?!" her father roared.

Sakura stood as if paralyzed in the front door of her home. She had walked in on her father having sex on the living room floor with a prostitute who was now staring at her angrily.

"I asked you what the fuck you were doing here," her father growled, getting to his feet.

Sakura's eyes widened and she let out a small whimper.

Her father crossed the room and grabbed her right wrist. She felt the bones snap and screamed.

"Bitch!" he roared, shoving her across the room and into the hall closet. The door slammed behind her, immersing her in darkness.

Sakura curled into a ball in the corner of the closet, nursing her injured arm. She dared not make another sound though she knew her father wouldn't be able to hear her over the noises he and the prostitute were making.

***

_How long has it been since he's locked me in here?_

_About three hours._

_My wrist... it hurts. He hasn't broken a bone since Mommy left._

_I want my mommy._

_I want her so bad._

_Mommy, why did you leave? Why didn't you take me, too?_

_Why..._

_Why..._

_Why..._

An involuntary wail ripped itself from her throat, rising steadily in volume.

"Shut the fuck up!!" her father pounded on the door angrily.

***

_Ah, ow._ Sakura winced as she clumsily wrapped her wrist up with the roll of bandages she kept handy in the closet. She was still locked in there with no light -which made wrapping her wrist all the more difficult. Her father had already left the house nearly two hours ago to go to a barbecue at a friend's place.

A window broke in the kitchen and she was on high alert.

_This is not good. Not good. Notgoodnotgoodnotgoodnotgood._ Her breathing increased and her heart was pounding against her chest so loudly she was sure the burglars could hear it.

"What a dump. Are you sure there's something of value here?"

"Shhhh. I think I hear something..."

"You always think you hear something. C'mon, there's a couple of bedrooms back there." the first voice whispered urgently.

"No, I'm serious this time. I seriously fucking hear something." heavy footsteps pounded across the hardwood directly toward the closet.

***

"Sasuke, you wanna order a pizza?" Itachi poked his head into his room, phone already in his hand.

"Sure, whatever." Sasuke replied, still deep in thought on his bed.

"What's the matter? Something up at school?" Itachi was concerned now. Normally, Sasuke would have told him to order whatever he damn well wanted to and to piss off.

"The usual." Sasuke shrugged. "But there's this girl..."

"Do you like her?" Itachi asked.

"NO!" Sasuke snapped, but his face was inventing a new, brighter shade of red than Itachi had seen in a long time.

"She's just... quiet." he said finally.

"So she doesn't speak to you. It's no big deal." Itachi shrugged. "She's probably just shy."

"It's not just me. She doesn't talk to _anybody._ She doesn't even look anyone in the eye."

"Oh. That's different then." the elder Uchiha nibbled his lip thoughtfully. "Anyway, how about that pizza?"

Sasuke groaned and threw his pillow at his brother, who dodged and left the room with a parting shot of "Pizza hater."

He turned so he was on his stomach and rested his chin on his arms. _Why did she scream like that? That wasn't the kind of scream you make when you're startled. That was a scream of fear. _ He was suddenly protective. _If I ever find out who the root of her fear is... they are a dead man._

For about ten minutes he contemplated her reaction, finally reasoning that it was a man who had hurt her.

_Why am I so angry? I've only just met her._ He sat up on his bed, his mind made up.

"Itachi, where's the phonebook?" he called across the house, pulling on his shoes and a heavy jacket.

"I already ordered the pizza!" came the reply.

A vein twitched in Sasuke's forehead and he picked up a tennis ball leftover from his tennis days at his old school.

He stood in the doorway of the living room.

"Itachi?"

"Yeah?" his brother turned his head awkwardly to glance at him from the couch.

_Thwack!_

"Where's the phonebook?" Sasuke asked again.

"Ouch!" Itachi rubbed his cheek. "Damn, little brother, but you still have a good arm." Sasuke raised his arm threateningly, another tennis ball in his hand. Itachi flinched, "It's on the kitchen counter."

Sasuke thanked him before going into the cramped room that was, in his opinion, much too small to be a real kitchen. He found the phonebook where Itachi had said it would be and opened it, flipping quickly through the pages. Itachi stood behind him, watching curiously.

"Haruno, Haruno." he muttered, finding the page marked 'Halling' and 'Harvison'. "Ah! Haruno, Tohru."

It was the only 'Haruno' in the phonebook. Hopefully, it was the right one.

"Itachi, I'm taking the car, I'll be back later." Sasuke grabbed the car keys from the hook by the door.

"Sasuke, wait."

The younger of the two paused, "Yeah?"

"Take the gun."

"What?"

"The pistol I got for my birthday about two years ago." Itachi opened a drawer Sasuke had never bothered with and handed the gun to him. Sasuke took it cautiously.

"Why?"

"I have a bad feeling."

"Okay." Sasuke trusted Itachi when it came to his bad feelings. Less than a month ago, a bad feeling from Itachi saved them both from the serial killer that had murdered their parents.

Itachi watched him sadly as he ducked out into the pouring rain.

He knew exactly which girl Sasuke was speaking of. About a year ago, when he was still at Sound High, an old friend of his who lived here had mentioned a silent pink-haired girl with bruises all over her body. She hadn't been like that her whole life, he was told. Her mother had left her and her father when she was only six. After about a month, she had simply quit speaking and avoided everybody.

***

The doorknob rattled.

Sakura barely stopped herself from screaming.

"It's locked." the second voice said, sounding disappointed.

"What does it mean if something's locked?" the first voice sounded gleeful.

"There's something in here that's valuable."

"Exactly. Look, there's a key on that coffee table, see if it fits!"

There was a grating sound in the lock and Sakura braced herself.

"It fits!!" the second voice crowed, flinging the door open wide.

Sakura hopped to her feet and tried to make a break for the front door.

"Whoa, hold it." voice number one grabbed her uninjured arm and swung her down onto the couch.

"Lookie there, it's a girl." both men were staring at Sakura in a way she did not like one bit.

"Quiet, honey. I think you'll enjoy what we're about to do."

Sakura did the only thing she knew could incapacitate a man. She kicked straight up between his legs.

The man holding her swore loudly and released her and she ran to her room, the second man not far behind her. She managed to slam the door closed and caught several of her pursuers' fingers in the door. Swearing accompanied her heavy breathing and pounding heart.

She pressed her entire weight (which wasn't that much to begin with) against the door to hold it closed.

Slowly but surely, however, she could feel herself being slid across the floor.

The man gave one last, tremendous shove and entered her room.

Sakura grabbed the nearest thing possible and threw it at his face. He ducked the hairbrush easily and came at her.

Sakura screamed as he grabbed her roughly by the hair and dragged her out of the room.

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_**A/N: I'm on a roll today... seriously. Two chapters in one day? R&R please?** _


	4. Determination

_**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN NARUTO, KISHIMOTO DOES AND I AM NOT HIM. I ALSO DON'T OWN ANY OF THE SONGS. BIG SURPRISE.**_

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to Rianna3000: thanks for your review, I'm glad you're enjoying the story =)

to therockjlo: here's the next chapter, I hope you like it. It drove me nuts to write it because I got a little stuck.

to CheryLove9081: I'm glad you liked the last chapter, here's hoping you like this one .

Y'all are awesome! Keep reviewing, I love them!

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"Because it's not too late, it's never too late." the radio sang. Sasuke growled at it in annoyance and twiddled the dial.

"Shot through the heart, and you're to blame! Darlin' you give looove a bad name!"

Sasuke wished he could bash his head against the steering wheel. He pushed another button on the radio and tensed, ready to change it if it wasn't to his liking.

"Think twice 'fore you touch my girl. Come around no more-"

Sasuke punched the off button.

_What the hell was wrong with the radio tonight, playing songs like that?_

He made a left onto Cherry Street and slowed, squinting at the street numbers through the rain. _186, 188, 190, 192... 194! There it is!_

_What a dump._

He pulled up to the curb of a small one-story house with yellow paint faded and peeling from the shutters. The white vinyl siding clearly hadn't been replaced in years and an old rusted chevy rested in the middle of the front yard, all four tires gone. The porch was rotting and looked as if one step on it and it would collapse beneath you. The swing on the porch was hanging by one chain from the roof, squeaking pathetically.

_She lives in a place like this?_ Sasuke got out of his brother's yellow mustang slowly, a feeling of unease in the air. He shut the door quietly after putting the gun in the back of his pants and crept up to the house.

The instant he noticed the broken window and fresh footprints, his heart began to pound.

Carefully, he stepped onto the front porch then made his way to the front door.

A scream from within the house made him jump and he tested the knob on the front door, and, upon finding it unlocked, flung it open.

For a moment, he stood stockstill at the sight that met his eyes.

Two men were in the house with Sakura. One had her by the hair while the other undid her jeans.

_Shit._ He had no choice now.

"Let her go." he said firmly, drawing the gun and pointing it at the men.

For the first time in his 16 years of life, he wanted to kill someone. He hadn't even wanted to kill the serial killer who'd murdered his parents. He'd wanted him dead, admittedly, but he'd never wanted to kill him personally.

"Whoa. Easy, kid. Don't do something you'll regret. Why don't we let you have a go at her first?" The one undoing Sakura's jeans offered.

"No deal. She's my friend." Sasuke cocked the weapon menacingly and the man holding Sakura's hair let go abruptly. Sakura's head hit the floor with a small _thump._

"Okay, look. We're backing off, see?"

Sasuke circled around the wall toward Sakura, keeping the gun aimed at the burglars. They circled as he did, not wanting to be anywhere near a gun.

"Get out of my sight." he told them in his deadliest tone, kneeling by the barely conscious girl. Both men nodded eagerly and tore out the front door as if fleeing from the devil himself.

"Sakura, are you okay?" he asked, sliding his arms under her to pick her up bridal style.

***

_Sasuke came? But- why? And why did she suddenly feel queasy in her stomach when she saw him?_

He set her down gently on the couch, much more tenderly than her father would have.

_Oh, no. Her father!_ he was sure to be home any minute now! Sakura sat up, head throbbing from its beating and rested for a few minutes. Sasuke sat down next to her, hands folded in his lap.

_Why is he so nice? Doesn't he see that I'm a lost cause?_ She had to-and did- make Sasuke leave as soon as she had strength enough to stand.

He tried to argue with her, but she knew if her father came home and saw him, she would get the beating of her life. Her mother had frequently been accused of sleeping around. If her father saw Sasuke... well, she could guess what would happen to her _and_ him. Eventually, Sakura just pushed him out the door and to his car.

She couldn't -didn't- want to see him hurt. Her father's beatings wouldn't kill _her_, but if she were to see him turn on Sasuke, it would break her.

He gave her another odd look, wondering why she was behaving like this, but got into his vehicle all the same. She closed the door for him, the saddest look he'd ever seen in her eyes.

A feeling lingered at the edge of his mind. He pushed it away, storing it for later because he knew, somehow, that he would need that information again.

"Okay," Sasuke told her. "I'll go. I'll see you on Monday then."

Sakura gave him a small grin as he sped off then trudged back into her miniature version of hell.

_What a mess..._ Sakura sighed as she began to pick up the house so that it was exactly the way it had been when her father left. She knew he'd still hit her because she wasn't in the closet and, of course, she couldn't get it exactly as it had been. There was always something out of place.

Always.

***

She eventually fell asleep on her too-small bed, the one she'd had since her mother had left them. Not much had changed since then. The walls of her room were still yellow, though not the precise shade they had been. They had darkened from bright, sunshiney yellow to a yellow almost the color of dog pee. Her Mickey Mouse comforter had remained as well, but it was now so worn it provided little heat and poor Mickey was barely distinguishable. She had one small bookshelf in her room, but it didn't hold books. It held a small child's jewelry box that once had been painted in garish colors, but, with time, the colors had faded so much it just looked gray. It would have been empty but for the single photograph of a mother and her daughter out on a picnic. The writing on the back of the picture read: "Dearest Sakura, " then left off there as if the writer had been unsure what to write. Sakura had read those words so often they appeared in her dreams as white-hot floating words that left spots on her eyes when she woke.

***

On Monday morning, Sakura didn't come to school.

Sasuke sat impatiently in his chair, waiting for her to poke her head into the classroom and, when that didn't happen, began making plans to go to her house after school.

He visited her teachers after school and collected the work she missed then hopped in his car. He drove faster than he normally would have, but luck was on his side and he didn't come across any cops.

For the second time, he pulled up to the curb of the house where he'd been tempted to shoot someone.

***

Sakura flinched when the doorbell rang. Her father answered the door, leaving her battered body on the floor of the kitchen.

This time had been so much worse.

He'd found her on her bed and dragged her to the bathroom by the hair then filled up the bathtub with cold water. He'd then proceeded to dunk her into the icy water repeatedly, until her lips, fingers, and toes were blue and she was numb. He'd drained the tub and filled it with water again, but this time it was hot. She'd screamed after the first dunking and he'd slammed her head against the edge of the bathtub. After that, she'd confined herself to biting her lip and had bitten it hard enough several times that it had drawn blood. Seeing her bleeding had seemed to snap something in him and he'd bashed her head against the edge several times until she was on the verge of passing out. He'd then resumed the dunkings. When she finally passed out it was a small mercy. He'd left her on the bathroom rug and gone to get himself a beer from the refrigerator. When she woke, she was in the kitchen and he had his belt folded in half. He dumped a bucket of cold water on her then began hitting her with the belt. Her wet skin and clothes made it sting all the more, but she refused to scream. Tears of pain had blurred her vision and when he'd finally gotten bored with that, he'd begun to twist her already injured arm, twisting it behind her until she couldn't bear it and screamed as loudly as she could. He'd tested how far her arm could go several times until he finally pushed it too far and the bone in her upper arm had snapped.

She'd been on the kitchen floor ever since.

***

The door finally opened and Sasuke finally met Tohru Haruno. Looking at him, he could tell where Sakura had gotten her jewel-bright green eyes, but it was impossible to see any other resemblance. The man was tall, about 6 foot, and fairly heavily well built, with the large protruding belly some men tended to develop over the years.

"Hello." Sasuke said, keeping his tone polite, "Is Sakura here?"

"She's sleepin', what's it matter to you?" Tohru snapped.

"I'm here to give her the work she missed." Sasuke replied, trying to maintain his polite facade in the face of the rudest man he'd ever met.

"Why are you bothering? She's the dumbest bitch I've ever met. Useless, too. Go away."

Sasuke felt his hands begin to shake.

"G'wan, git!" the man yelled, pointing at his car.

A low moan from within the depths of the house startled both Sasuke and Tohru.

"Ya dumb little shit! Shut the fuck up!" Tohru yelled, slamming the door in Sasuke's face.

_So... that's why she's like that._

_I probably just got her hurt worse._

_I'm such an idiot._

Sasuke turned away from the door numbly and walked to his car.

For a few minutes he just sat there, not bothering to turn the vehicle on. The realization of what he was doing hit him like a brick.

If he left her in there with her father and pretended nothing was wrong, the man might someday kill her- _No_, Sasuke amended that, _he _would_ kill her._

He had to get Itachi.

***

Her father was close to hitting him. She could tell by his voice and the violent way he jabbed his finger at her classmate.

She had no choice.

She let out a low moan, knowing it would incense him and get him away from Sasuke.

Sasuke was too nice for his own good. He had to realize she could take care of herself.

"Shut up! Shut up!" he roared, grabbing his belt again.

_Sasuke, it would be best if you just left me alone._

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_**A/N: For some reason, I feel oddly satisfied with myself and this chapter. It's brutal, though.**_

**_R&R please and thank you for taking the time to read this._**


	5. Planning

_**DISCLAIMER: YOU SHOULD KNOW THIS BY NOW...**_

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To Amiisarr: Thank you for the review, it made me laugh. I'm glad to know you're enjoying the story that much.

To Shadowcat: Awesome review as usual. I think you're my most regular reviewer. Don't abandon me now! :D

Also, a big thank you goes out to those of you who favorited/alerted my story.

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Geez, I'm like hyped up on sugar, and if you were to ask any of my friends who've seen me on a sugar high, they'd tell you it isn't pretty... anyway, chapter 5! Awesome!

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"I'm sorry, Sasuke, but if she won't talk, prosecuting him could be difficult. There's also the fact that you don't have any photographic evidence."

"You didn't see her, Itachi." Sasuke snapped, "She had a bandage on her wrist and bruises all over her arms. It's no wonder she'd always wear that jacket, even when the room was broiling."

"Sasuke, please, don't do anything rash."

"I'm already thinking about it. Where's the Akatsuki meeting place?"

"What? Why?" Itachi stared up at his little brother, shocked at his question.

"I need to ask a favor."

"What kind of favor?"

***

"Watch the house for about a week?" Pein asked, one eyebrow raised.

"I need to know the best day to get her out of there." Sasuke explained, fiddling with the hem of his jacket. Itachi stood protectively behind him, hands in pockets.

"That sounds... doable. Kakuzu, what's a fair price?" Pein turned to the man beside him.

"About 1,000 dollars if Sasuke is willing to cover the weekends."

"I will." Sasuke said. "So we have a deal?"

"Yes. Provided you come up with the money."

"I have it all in my savings. I'll have to withdraw it slowly. If I withdraw such a large amount in such a short time, the bank could start wondering."

"Installments work." Hidan told the teen.

"Okay. One other question: who's going to be helping me with surveillance?" Sasuke scanned each member, recalling what he knew about each from Itachi.

Sasori, master of calm (like Itachi), amazing artist, creates and sells puppets to theaters.

Deidara, Sasori's best friend, major pyromaniac, sells explosives on the black market. Temperamental. Gets worked up about his opinion of what art is. Argues about it frequently with Sasori.

Zetsu, freak, eats meat raw, has two personalities, and master of stealth and surveillance. Scopes out the target before clearing it for some of Akatsuki's more infamous heists.

Kisame, excellent with swords, teaches fencing. _Really, really, tall._ His brother's best friend.

Tobi, hyperactive nutjob, annoying as hell.

Hidan, foulmouthed and devout Jashinist, kills without a second thought. Impulsive. Loud and impatient. Can be a bit whiney.

Kakuzu, moneymonger and surgeon, does the accounting for the Akatsuki and is good at it. Quiet. Calm. Hidan seems to obey him better than even Pein himself.

Pein, leader of the group, difficult to disobey, family murdered by serial killer.

Konan, Pein's second-in-command, likes origami, teaches kindergarten, ruthless at heart. Dangerous to walk into the bathroom without knocking.

And finally, Itachi, his own brother. Skilled fighter, teaches martial arts at the local dojo. Can be very, very scary.

Of the ten of them, he'd probably pick Sasori, Zetsu, Kisame, Konan, and Itachi.

"Hidan, Deidara, Zetsu, Sasori, and Itachi." Pein stated, pointing to each member in turn.

"Tobi! Tobi wants to help! Tobi is a good boy!"

Sasuke shot him such a dangerous glance the idiot shut up immediately.

"Ah, Pein, Hidan may not be such a wise choice." Itachi pointed out.

"What the fuck is wrong with me, Uchiha?" Hidan yelled. He prepared to leap at the younger man, but Kakuzu placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You're impulsive and have a hot temper, that's what." Itachi deadpanned.

"You fucking bastard, I'll show-"

"Hidan, you just confirmed what Itachi said." Kakuzu grinned, a rare sight indeed.

"Manipulative bastard." Hidan muttered murderously. Itachi smiled.

"Nevertheless, Hidan will do it. He needs to learn to be patient and quiet. This will be good training for him." Pein said, with a tone of finality in his voice noone could argue with.

"Why not me?" Kisame queried, looking put out.

_Wait, is he- _pouting? Sasuke gaped at the older man as he shuffled his feet.

"It's kind of hard to hide a man as large as you behind a couple of bushes, Kisame." Itachi explained, laughter in his voice.

"Not my fault I'm so tall." the swordsmaster scowled.

_We are so screewwwed._ Sasuke moaned inwardly.

***

_Tuesday - Sasori_

Tohru Haruno left for work at 7:45 a.m., his thinning hair neatly combed, and his shirt and pants neatly pressed.

_Probably by Sakura,_ Sasori noted with distaste from his position in the bushes that surrounded the house.

Around 12:00 p.m., he returned home-probably for lunch. After maybe ten minutes of being in there, Sasori heard several loud thumps. Curious-though he knew what was happening- he crept forward through the bushes until he was just below the window he knew led to the kitchen.

Slowly, he raised his head so that his eyes were just above the windowsill and he could see inside.

Tohru was throwing everything within reach at his daughter, yelling about not having a meal ready for him when he got home. He lifted the coffee table and threw it at her. Sakura turned away and crouched down, shielding her head and neck with her left arm. Her right arm, Sasori noticed, was broken in at least two places.

_Someone needs to set that arm so that the breaks heal correctly. I'll see if I can get Kakuzu to drop by tomorrow..._

He flinched as the table smashed into Sakura's exposed back, knocking her forward onto her face.

_No wonder Sasuke wants to get her out of here._ He watched as Sakura struggled to get to her hands and knees. Tohru marched over to her and grabbed her long pink locks then began shaking her violently.

He couldn't take it anymore.

He left the window and returned to his previous position in the bushes. There he stayed until Tohru returned home at 3 p.m. He moved to the house and flattened himself against the siding and listened to what was happening. After what he'd witnessed only three hours before, he was not going to peek again. He'd be tempted to do in the bastard himself.

***

Wednesday was Zetsu's turn to keep watch on the house, and by the time he returned to the house the Akatsuki was using at a base at 6 a.m. (they kept watch on the house in 24 hour shifts, from 6 a.m. at the beginning of their day of the week, til 6 a.m. the next day, when the next member replaced them) both his dark and light sides were as disgusted as Sasori was, although they hid it better. Kakuzu had, though, kept his promise to Sasori to splint her arm. Her father hadn't seemed to care about it at all, as long as it didn't affect whether he was getting fed when he wanted to be fed.

Itachi watched the house on Thursday, and when Hidan relieved him, he gave him a look that told him to expect the worst. Itachi knew he'd gotten the easy day and that Hidan was sure to be sensitive to Sakura's plight.

After Hidan's watch on Friday, the Jashinist was muttering darkly about how fitting a sacrifice the man would be. His father had been abusive as well, but instead of retreating inward, Hidan had become a troublemaker for attention he never received at home. Many times, he'd come home only to be attacked by his father. At school, he beat the shit out of anyone who dared cross him. That was one of the reasons Pein had wanted him for Akatsuki. He'd joined Akatsuki for the other members' companionship, though he wouldn't admit it to himself. He'd been lonely before, but with Akatsuki, you always had family.

Hidan had given Sasuke a dark look when he finally took his place, and Sasuke gritted his teeth. _The old bastard is gonna pay for what he's done._

He stayed up all day and night the entire weekend (Itachi had brought him food and clean clothes and such), the result being his frequent naps in the middle of class. After being caught snoring in Orochimaru's biology class for the seventh time, he was given detention after school. He slept through the whole two hour detention but it wasn't a restful nap in the slightest. His dreams were frequented by images of Sakura's battered body.

After Deidara's watch on Monday, they decided Thursday would be the best day to rescue her, that being the day when he worked late.

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**_A/N: Okay, this chapter is fairly short, but it _is_ a chapter and one I worked hella hard on. R&R please, I like to see how I'm doing. Don't just favorite or alert it. Please?_**


	6. Rescue

_**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN NARUTO. 'NUFF SAID.**_

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To CCRox4Eva: I'm glad you like it as much as you do, I hope I updated soon enough for you.

To therockjlo: Thank you for your encouragement, your reviews always make me feel better

To AnimeLover325: You and I both. I figured Sasuke would need a human side. He's always so distant.

To Amiisarr: Thanks for the review, I thought the table was a good touch myself, I've read plenty of books where things were thrown and I wouldn't put it past Tohru to do it.

To shadowcat: another awesome review as usual. I decided to put the Akatsuki in because I like them (all but Pein, I don't like him), and I figured Sasuke would need some connections, it's the little details (like the part about Konan) that count.

To CheryLove9081: I'm glad you're so mad at Tohru, it means I'm writing him well. It made me laugh.

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_Thursday 3:10 p.m._

"Sasuke!"

Sasuke turned at the sound of his name as he exited the school building. Itachi was waving at him from the passenger window of a dark blue (almost black) minivan. Sasuke grinned and trotted over to the van, and the rear door slid open to reveal Deidara, Sasori, Tobi, and Hidan. The younger Uchiha grimaced at the thought of being in such a crowded space before crawling in between Hidan and Deidara. Deidara pulled the door closed and told Kakuzu (who was driving) to step on it. Kakuzu obliged and Sasuke barely had time to pull on his seatbelt before they tore away from the curb.

When they screeched to a stop at Sakura's house about 10 or so minutes later, Sasuke bolted out of his seat after undoing his seatbelt. For such a quiet man, Kakuzu drove like a nut. He ran stopsigns and redlights if he saw noone ahead, and drove at least 10 miles over the speedlimit. Several times, going around corners, Sasuke could have sworn the van was going to roll and kill them all.

"What's the matter, little brother?" Itachi had stepped out, too. Sasuke noticed he looked a little green.

"Next time, I drive. I don't want him to drive like that with Sakura in the vehicle." Sasuke said firmly, his stomach still nauseous.

"I second that, yeah." Deidara staggered out of the van and went behind the bushes to empty whatever had been in his stomach.

Sasuke waited until everyone was out of the van before he went up to the front door and tested it.

It was unlocked. Warily, he poked his head into the living room, then, seeing no threat, stepped into the room.

Deidara, Tobi, Itachi, Hidan and Kakuzu followed him inside (in that order).

"I'll look in her room," Sasuke whispered. "Itachi, will you keep watch at the door?"

"Yeah. Hidan, Tobi, you go to either end of the street and keep watch in case someone reports us and calls the cops." Itachi said.

"Yay!! Tobi gets to help! Tobi is a good boy!" the man yelled gleefully.

"Tobi, you idiot! Shhhh!" Deidara snapped, keeping his voice low. "You'll ruin everything, yeah!"

"C'mon, you little shithead," Hidan commanded, grabbing Tobi's arm and pulling him out of the house.

"Sasori, you wait in the van. You'll need to get us outta here fast."

"Don't keep me waiting." Sasori left and Kakuzu followed him.

Sasuke slipped quietly across the living room and turned right, going down the hallway about 4 feet before he opened Sakura's bedroom door.

***

Sakura had taken a shower after her father had left for work. That was the only time she had to take a shower anymore. She could also take longer showers when her father was at work, and she took advantage of that, remaining under the warm water for nearly 20 minutes. She kept her right arm out of the water though, because the man who'd helped her fix it last week had said it wouldn't have been good for the bandages to get wet.

She settled down on her floor with her jewelry box and held it gently in her hands. She sat that way for nearly an hour, tracing the old familiar pattern on the lid with one finger before she eventually drifted off to sleep.

She woke when a hand set itself gently on her shoulder.

"Sakura? Sakura, wake up."

_Sasuke? Why is he here?_

She sat up slowly and Sasuke helped her to her feet.

"C'mon. We're getting you out of here." he told her, grabbing her hand and pulling.

_Leave? I can-I can do that? What if he finds out? He'll kill me!_

_**Not if you leave right now. You deserve to be happy.**_

_Happiness..._

Tears welled up in her eyes and she grabbed the jewelry box before following Sasuke out of her room.

"Shit, Sasuke, he's here!" Deidara hissed from his position at the window in the living room.

"What? He isn't supposed to be home for another 7 hours or so!"

"Fuck! Little brother, we gotta go. He's almost at the door!" Itachi grabbed Deidara and Sasuke then pulled them back to Sakura's room.

"Sasuke, you go first and catch her when she gets out."

Keys jingled in the front door.

Sasuke climbed out the window and jumped the 5 feet to the ground. Sakura had her leg out the window when-

"You whore! Get the fuck back here!"  
"Shit! Sakura! Jump, I'll catch you! Deidara and Itachi will hold him off!"

Sakura shot one backwards glance at the two men who were grappling with her father, closed her eyes, and jumped.

Sasuke caught her, "I've got her, get outta there!"

He carried Sakura around the house and helped Sakura into the waiting back of the van before crawling in himself. Hidan and Tobi were already there and Kakuzu was in the passenger seat.

Deidara and Itachi tore out of the house like bats out of hell and jumped into the van. Sasori stepped on the gas and Sasuke buckled Sakura into the seat.

Tohru didn't come out of the house after them which didn't escape Sasuke's notice.

"Did you kill him?"

"We're not murderers, Sasuke." Itachi told his brother. "Well, most of us aren't. Hidan and Zetsu are though. Anyway, that's not the point."

"I knocked him out with a chair. It was awesome! Just like prowrestling, yeah." Deidara mimed picking up a chair and slamming it over Tobi's head.

Sakura giggled, the first time Sasuke had heard her do so since the day they'd met.

_She's safe now._

***

"Here we are. The Akatsuki's safehouse." Itachi said, the van pulling up to a small pale blue house. The roof was new, the shingles a pretty greyish-silver. The gutters and eaves had been freshly painted white and glowed in the reddish orange light of the setting sun. It boasted two stories and had a wraparound, screened-in porch. The front yard was small, only about 36 by 10, with a chain-link fence and stepping stones leading up to the porch.

Sasuke stepped out and held out his hand. Sakura took it and stepped lightly out, staring in awe at her new home. Her jewelry box was still clutched in her right hand.

Itachi and Deidara climbed out the back of the vehicle and sent the others on their way before following both teens through the gate.

"This room will be yours." Sasuke opened the door just to the right of the stairs.

***

Sakura stared at her room in awe.

There was a four-poster bed with a white canopy and curtains in the corner by the window. The comforter on the bed was emerald green with matching shams on the pillows. Her walls were a pale green, but were mostly hidden behind the many empty bookshelves that nearly encircled the room. She had a dresser with 5 drawers sitting by her walk-in closet, which she entered slowly, flicking on the light. The bars that would hold clothes on hangers were empty, waiting for her to fill them. The dresser was empty as well but she didn't mind. She could fill them at her leisure.

Tears began to well up in her eyes and Sasuke gave her a small smile as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. He dug around in his pocket and found what he'd been looking for: a white handkerchief with his initials embroidered in red in each of the four corners. He wiped her eyes dry gently.

She thanked him by hugging him and tears came to his eyes as well. Noone had hugged him since his parents' deaths, not even Itachi, who'd settled for a quick squeezing of his shoulder to comfort him. The tears began to leak out more furiously as he hugged back, startling her.

"Tomorrow- Tomorrow after school, we're taking you shopping." he choked out between sobs.

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A/N: :')

_**I think there'll be one more chapter after this one-an epilogue. Thanks for sticking with me. I luv you all.**_


	7. Epilogue: Six years ahead

Final chapter folks, the epilogue to Mute. I've really enjoyed doing this story, and I'm glad you've all liked it enough to read this far.

_**DISCLAIMER: IF YOU DON'T KNOW I'M NOT THE OWNER, YOU DO NOW.**_

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Epilogue:

The man paused in the carpeted hallway of the apartment complex, hesitating for the first time in his life. Never had he felt so nervous about entering her house. Even in the six years since the great escape (as he liked to call it) or the four years since that bastard had killed himself in prison (he refused to say his name), he had always entered her home without any hint of hesitation. Now he paused, thumbing the small blue box in his coat pocket. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, then, finding his nerve at last, turned the handle on the door. As per usual, it was unlocked. A small grin lit his face as he slowly poked his head into the small apartment.

The scent of frying chicken invaded his nostrils and he breathed in deeply, mouth beginning to water.

"Sasuke? What are you waiting for?" Sakura called from her position in front of the stove.

Sasuke smiled broadly, entering the domicile.

"How'd you know it was me?" he asked, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"I'll always know it's you, Sasuke. Always. What princess forgets her knight in shining armor?" Sakura turned her head and planted a kiss on his forehead. Sasuke smiled cockily, and turned her around to face him. The chicken continued its hissing and popping in the cast iron skillet.

"Always?" He twirled a lock of her hair around his finger. "You know, I always thought of myself as more of a prince."

"Prince Sasuke? Well, it does have a certain ring to it."

"You know something else?" Sasuke asked, placing his hand in his pocket.

"What?" Sakura asked, watching Sasuke bend down on one knee in front of her.

"A prince has to marry a princess." Sasuke took Sakura's hand. "Sakura, will you marry me?"

"I will. I will, Sasuke." Sakura said, watching the simple gold band slide onto her ring finger. Sasuke looked up as a tear plopped down on his hand and wiped the next tear off her cheek. He stood and pulled her close. Sakura rested her head against his chest and breathed in his sweet scent as they swayed slowly to music only they could hear.

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_**A/N: I know it's really short, but it's a good ending I think. Maybe. I've never really been good at endings.**_


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